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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Action is Character

by Linda Robertson

F.Scott Fitzgerald once said, "Action is character."

This week we are blogging about the characters we wish we had created.

Ok. I' sat with my chin in my hand considering this, staring at a blank post. It's not like someone didn't come to mind immediately. Several someones came to mind and crowded around, shoving each other and waving their arms around saying, "Ooooo oooo oooo!" like Arnold Horshack. I've paced in front of my bookcases, scanning spines and thinking, "Yeah...no...yeah...no...yeah...no." Some who were my favorites a few years ago have changed during their series so much that I don't like them anymore. Others I didn't like at first evolved into cool individuals. A few were drawn delightfully, start to finish.
What they all have in common is very relative to the quote at the head of this post. They were very active in their stories, they made an impact on me. The problem is picking just one. There are so many characters I've enjoyed. Protagonists, antagonists, and supporting characters, too. Some represent first person accounts of their stories. Some have had their stories told through the eyes of another, never letting us see inside their mind and learn how they think. Some were devices that entertained us readers while creating moments that allowed the protagonist's to shine. Some make my lil' heart swoon.

(Clears throat.) And the nominees for "Characters I Wish I Had Created" are:

I wish I had created her because I lived vicariously through her in my late teens. She was my heroine, sword in hand. Stoic, motivated by a noble cause (to save someone she felt responsible for, from someone much stronger than her) she pushed herself to be the best, the most dangerous. She put herself in harms way. Never losing sight of the goal, she took big risks. Not because she was an adrenaline junkie, but because each was a step that brought her closer to achieving her aim.